Below is what transpired during KCSE English paper 3 2022
1. Questions 1a and 1b were all favorites among students, but those who chose 1b (How to curb indiscipline in schools) performed well. We insist that teachers caution candidates on the length and distortion of the input statement. Many candidates lost marks due to this careless mistake.
2. "A Doll's House" was a disaster, as many examiners have put it. For the last three years or so, drama has proven to be a challenge for candidates. They hardly interpreted the question and scored as well as they did last year. Candidates performed poorly on this question because:
(a) They did not read the question to the end. They went ahead and discussed female characters who fight limitations imposed on them by their male counterparts, when actually the question was about Nora. Critics argue that the question was too wordy. What's the way forward? Let's advise candidates to read the question up to the end.
(b) They were unable to single out episodes or instances where Nora resists male dominance. They only saw the borrowing of the 250 pounds from Krogstad against the law (the forgery) and the divorce of Helmer (the walkout). What's the way forward? Let's teach episodes, however short they may be.
(b) The marking scheme was too demanding, and it required a candidate who has full mastery of the texts and a call for synthesis and evaluation skills. Most of us concentrated on teaching episodes where characters showed sacrifice or resisted desperately the restrictions imposed on them by society, forgetting to single out Nora as the major character. KNEC caught us flat-footed. What's the way forward? Most of the teachers were not aware of the fact that A Doll's House was exiting the shelves, and there's no way a question on Nora or Helmer would not have been examined. These are the major characters here.
3. The short story was popular among national and extra-county schools, and the performance was average. A few demands were placed on the question of what is expected of a short story. However, those who scored thin forgot to tie the unconditional love to the suffering or the agony the family of the mentally sick sister went through as they attempted to unearth her problem. The future is with the short story, but A Silent Song may be the next slaughterhouse for candidates. To play it safe, teachers need to teach The Artist of the Floating World and A Parliament of Owls.
3(b) This was a very unpopular question for all categories of candidates and the most poorly performed one since the question required candidates to discuss Lacuna Kasoo as the major play as far as corruption is concerned. Those who discussed his cronies got it wrong. Before teaching drama, especially that which touches on leadership or governance ethics, teachers should weigh in on the candidates' perceptions of the same. Inheritance has never been student's favourite text so are teachers. The teaching or popularity of drama needs a comeback.
3C. This was the most popular question among students, and those who attempted it managed at least a tepid score. Unrelated or irrelevant paragraphs were a rare thing here. However, the demands on the marking schemes limited candidates to a thin or a fair. The details of the envy of the different characters and backgrounds were key.
In parting, teachers encourage candidates to read the tests as many times as possible and emphasize the major and minor episodes. The short story and the question in "A Doll's House" cannot be answered without a good mastery of the episodes therein.